The following morning, the introduction ceremony for Leora Dawn Heartsong was performed. The child was only a week old but she looked on with wide blue eyes as she was shown to Goddess and God and all of nature. The child was passed around the circle, to each priest and priestess and all the well wishers, and each whispered their wishes for her in her tiny little ear. When she came to Kaylanna and she whispered, "I pray you find true love," the child cooed happily. When she was passed on to the next person and then the next she began to cry until she found the arms of Tyreon at which point she comforted herself by snuggling against him. Tyreon chuckled softly and whispered to her the same words that Kaylanna had, "I wish you find true love." He caught Kaylanna's eyes from across the circle and smiled to her before passing the child on into the loving arms of her mother. He had yet to speak with Kaylanna this early spring morning as she was a large part of the preparations. He was planning on speaking with her parents shortly about the handfasting. Though he knew they would grant him permission without a second thought, he was nervous and hoped that Kaylanna would be by his side when he asked.
Reena, Kaylanna's mother, was closing the circle, thanking God and Goddess and all the spirits and attendees for coming. "Blessed be!" she exclaimed and the others echoed with the same joyful tone, "Blessed be!"
As the circle dispersed, Tyreon made his way over to Kaylanna and she smiled shyly at him, lowering her gaze as the feelings of love and lust began to stir in her stomach at the simple sight of him.
"Hello, my love," he said for her ears only and bent to kiss her cheek. Instead, she turned her head and her lips touched his, standing in the middle of the ritual space, for everyone to see. He didn't care, not one bit, that everyone stopped to watch and cheer as her arm slid up around his neck and he held her in a tight embrace. It wasn't a long kiss, but it was long enough to let everyone know that Kaylanna now belonged to Tyreon.
"Well," came a familiar feminine voice from behind them and they let each other go, both looking a bit chagrined. "What have you to say for yourselves?"
"Reena...would you mind ever so much if I were to handfast with your daughter?"
The bright smile that lit up Reena's face was blinding. "It is about time you got around to it. I want some grandkids to spoil. You know, I always had a feeling the two of you would wed."
"What's going on?" Arowyn asked as he approached his wife and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. Reena smiled up at him. "It appears we are going to have two things to celebrate today. Tyreon and Kaylanna are going to be handfasted."
"Oh?" Arowyn asked, raising a single eyebrow in Tyreon's direction with a fatherly look that said 'she's still my little girl'.
"With your permission, of course, milord. I would wish your blessing on this."
"And if I didn't give you my blessing?" he asked, causing identical shocked expressions to mar the faces of Reena and Kaylanna as well as a series of gasps and guffaws from the surrounding crowd who had stopped to watch the goingons.
Without a second thought, Tyreon replied, "I would steal her away to my lands and wed her anyways."
Arowyn laughed heartily and clasped Tyreon on the shoulder. "Well said, my boy. Aye, you can handfast with her...but if you ever hurt her in any way, I will see your head on a pike in the courtyard."
Tyreon had no doubt that he meant what he said but smiled none the less. All his dreams seemed to be coming true within a short span of time, things that he thought would never happen.
Kaylanna smiled at her mother and father then gazed up at Tyreon, happiness shining brightly on her face. "When shall we be wed, my love?"
"By the next full moon," chimed in Darian from somewhere nearby. "I swore to the gods you would be!" He felt proud of himself for playing matchmaker and now both his best friend and his sister were taken care of. Two birds with one stone, he thought to himself, to be more precise, a wolf and a raven.
"That is just three days away, Kaylanna...what say you?" Tyreon asked, his arm wrapped about her waist and holding her close to his side.
To his surprise, her answer was, "Aye, I think I can wait that long," which caused all to fall into a merry fit of laughter that was followed by a grand feast, celebrating both a child destined for love and a pair who had already found it.
Kaylanna had retired to the library after many hours of enjoying the grand banquet, dancing and revelry. The sun was sinking quickly beyond the horizon and she needed to wind down after all the excitement before going to bed, else she would end up staying up all night as she had the night before. After thinking about it, she decided if things like what happened the night before could happen every night, she might just end up staying awake for the rest of her life. Sighing softly with a smile on her face, she opened one of her favorite books and leaned back into a plush armchair. After several pages, she began to drift to sleep without even realizing it.
Soon after, she was dreaming. It was a wonderful dream; warm arms were wrapped around her, carrying her light as a feather. A kiss was placed upon her forehead and she snuggled closer to the heat, wanting more.
Tyreon smiled to himself as, even in her sleep, she wanted closer. He had come to the library expecting to find some more information on handfasting ceremonies. Instead, he had found a sleeping beauty that was in need of a bed. He thought for a few moments about taking her to his own chambers and holding her close throughout the night, but he quickly dashed the thought and resigned himself to taking her to her own bed. Most of the household and revelers had dispersed to their placed within the castle and villages so he would not be question as to why he was carrying Kaylanna into her chambers at such a late hour. Even if they did question him, he wouldn't care. He was just happier than he had ever been in his life.
He managed to open the door with the toe of his boot. The room was pleasantly warm, a fire having been lit in the fireplace by one of Kaylanna's handmaidens, and the bed had been turned down in anticipation of her rest. He placed her gently in her bed and pulled the slippers from her feet. She whispered something unintelligible in her slumber and he smiled. Tyreon took a moment to simply look at her, from head to toe. Even in her sleep she was perfect. Her dark hair fanned out against the white linen of the pillows and one slender hand rested near her cheek. He tenderly caressed her cheek and neck with the tips of his fingers. He sighed softly, realizing that she would likely be uncomfortable wearing her day gown, but was reluctant to wake her up. After a few moments, he said softly, "Kaylanna, my love, you need to wake up and change into a night rail."
In her dreams, she could feel the gentle stroking of his fingers against her skin. To her it felt like a heated caress. Her nipples hardened and her breathing began to come quicker. Tyreon could see the change in her nearly as soon as it happened and it caused his manhood to tighten in response. He ignored it as much as was possible. "Kaylanna, please, dear heart, wake up."
